#RealCollegeCA Survey Results
Vinnie Wu
2025-11-14
Disaggregating by Additional Demographics
Overview
Across all basic needs in 2025, substantial disparities appear among key student groups. Single parents, justice-impacted/formerly incarcerated students, and foster youth/former foster care students consistently experience the highest levels of food insecurity, housing insecurity, homelessness, and at least one basic needs insecurity, with rates often far exceeding campuswide averages. These groups show the most severe and persistent basic needs challenges.
Students with any disability, parents/guardians, and veterans also report elevated levels across multiple indicators, typically falling well above institutional averages for housing insecurity and at least one insecurity, and moderately above for food insecurity and homelessness.
Students who provide care for a family member and first-generation college students show moderately elevated levels of basic needs insecurity, with rates consistently above campuswide benchmarks but lower than the highest-need groups.
Overall, basic needs insecurity is most pronounced among single parents, justice-impacted students, and foster youth, while several other groups face consistently elevated levels of need across all measures.
About the Students
Figure 1: Respondents by Additional Demographics
Food Insecurity
Food insecurity in 2025 in all the listed student groups is higher than the campuswide average of 40%.
- Justice-impacted/formerly incarcerated students report the highest level (75%), nearly double the institutional rate.
- Single parents (66%) and foster youth/former foster care students (60%) also experience substantially elevated levels of food insecurity.
- Students with any disability (48%), parents/guardians (47%), and those who provide care for a family member (47%) fall moderately above the overall rate.
- First-generation college students (45%) and veterans (43%) fall just above the campuswide average.
Overall, food insecurity is most elevated among justice-impacted students, single parents, and foster youth, but all groups are above the campuswide average.
Figure 2: Food Insecurity by Additional Demographics
Housing Insecurity
Housing insecurity in 2025 in all the listed student groups is higher than the campuswide average of 54%.
- Single parents report the highest level (86%), far exceeding the institutional average.
- Foster youth/former foster care students (83%) and justice-impacted/formerly incarcerated students (79%) also experience exceptionally elevated rates of housing insecurity.
- Veterans (68%) and parents/guardians (65%) fall well above the overall rate.
- Students with any disability (62%), first-generation college students (62%), and those who provide care for a family member (61%) fall moderately above the campuswide average.
Overall, housing insecurity is most elevated among single parents, foster youth, and justice-impacted students, with all listed groups experiencing rates higher than the institutional average.
Figure 3: Housing Insecurity by Additional Demographics
Homelessness
Rates of homelessness in 2025 are substantially higher across all student groups (except first-generation college students) when compared to the campuswide average of 18%.
- Justice-impacted/formerly incarcerated students report the highest level (54%), triple the institutional rate.
- Foster youth/former foster care students (40%) and single parents (36%) also experience homelessness at markedly elevated levels.
- Veterans (32%) and students with any disability (24%) fall above the overall figure, though at more moderate levels.
- Parents/guardians (22%) and students who provide care for a family member (21%) report homelessness rates slightly above the campuswide average.
- First-generation college students (15%) fall below the institutional rate.
Overall, homelessness is most elevated among justice-impacted students, foster youth, and single parents, while several other groups remain modestly above the campuswide average.
Figure 4: Homelessness by Additional Demographics
Homelessness by Additional Demographics
At Least One Insecurity
Rates of students experiencing at least one insecurity in 2025 are substantially higher across all student groups when compared to the campuswide average of 62%.
- Single parents report the highest level (92%), far exceeding the institutional rate.
- Justice-impacted/formerly incarcerated students (88%) and foster youth/former foster care students (87%) also experience extremely elevated rates of basic needs insecurity.
- Students with any disability (71%), parents/guardians (71%), and veterans (71%) fall well above the overall figure.
- First-generation college students (70%) and those who provide care for a family member (68%) also exceed the campuswide average, though by a smaller margin.
Overall, basic needs insecurity is most elevated among single parents, justice-impacted students, and foster youth, with all listed groups experiencing rates higher than the institutional average.
Figure 5: At Least One Insecurity by Additional Demographics